Last April 26, I attended the BDJ Beauty Soiree - Revlon Summer Luau held at Borough, The Podium. I skipped on the previous Soiree with Max Factor (REGRETS!) because I was still barely recovering from my hiatus. These events are super exclusive and by invitation only, so I felt it wasn't fair to hoard a slot when other girls would kill to go.
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| BDJ Beauty Soiree - Revlon Summer Luau |
The first BDJ Soiree was with Shiseido, you can read all about it here.
I don't want to do an in-depth event coverage (and you can't make me!) because I had more fun playing with the makeup. I still wrote about it for posterity's sake. If you want to skip ahead to the virtual makeup tour, scroll on over to the jump!
I don't want to do an in-depth event coverage (and you can't make me!) because I had more fun playing with the makeup. I still wrote about it for posterity's sake. If you want to skip ahead to the virtual makeup tour, scroll on over to the jump!
Ms. Ana Paredes started with a short presentation on some makeup basics. It was mostly makeup theory, i.e. skincare, undertone selection and face and eye shapes. After the speaking lecture, she did two demos based on skintone: fair and medium.
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| Ms. Ana Paredes talking about color undertones |
I hope it's not totally weird but I am a huge admirer of her collection of tools. Ms. Ana uses Real Techniques brushes and has a Beauty Blender (original, I think.) I know it's not right, but I totally judge a makeup artist by the makeup and tools they use. Makeup artists seem to operate on a totally different world and I often can't relate to the brands they carry, unless it's MAC which is sort of a bridge between consumer-level and professional makeup.
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| Ms. Ana Paredes doing makeup on medium skintone using RT brushes, a blogger favorite |
I rarely see professional makeup artists go with RT as these are preferred by bloggers for personal use. Even so, she ended up with very professional-looking faces. It was a pleasant surprise. Sometimes I feel a huge divide between the personal / blogger and the professional / makeup artist. It leads me to wonder: do beauty bloggers like myself have any clue of what we're talking about? Why do we enjoy wholly different things than professional makeup artists? I mean obviously, longevity and generalization factor greatly with them, while sensitivities and customization factors in heavily with us.
I felt a connection with her- major creepster alert, pardon me, ehehehe. Naw seriously, I just think she bridged the personal and the professional! Maybe makeup artists and bloggers aren't so different after all ;)
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| Ms. Ana Paredes doing makeup on light skintone, using Beauty Blender (another blogger fave!) |
After the two demos, the remaining time was dedicated to eating or playing with makeup in batches. Half the room started with the makeup while food was served to the other half. I think we just had too much time left? It's not like the groups were made to share the makeup, there was a TON of it all around.
Our table got to play first and I was a bit pressured as it wasn't just a plain makeup exploration session. The whole thing was basically a contest of who can create the best Summer Luau FOTD. Here's mine:
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| BBT FOTD: neutral pink shadows wtih a long, thin line; super dewy face and coral lips |
Now, to be perfectly honest, I am not at grips with Revlon. I know it's a very affordable and ubiquitous brand but I don't seem to have a lot of Revlon makeup. Maybe a couple of lipsticks? I don't know its best products unlike how I consider CoverGirl and Maybelline the drugstore go-to's for mascara and NYX for lip stuff. (Spoiler alert: figured out it's the foundation!)
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| A fleet of Revlon table-traincases and makeup chairs! |
Welcome to my virtual tour of Revlon products! Down below, we have...
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| Revlon Lip Butters. Sorry about the last tube, OC readers! |
Lip Butters! I already have one Lip Butter from my July 2013 BDJ Box and I find it perfect for a natural look. They do in fact feel very balmy and color payoff is pretty intense for mere lip butter. If you like full pigment on your lips, you might not enjoy these. I consider them a next-level lip balm because they feel extremely moisturizing (Lip Butter is not a lie!) but the shades translate much more distinctly than with regular balms.
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| Revlon Lip Butter Skin Swatches |
I hate myself for loving Peach Parfait. It looks like nonsense in the swatch but the high shine and lightness of the color gives me Korean lips.
Berry Smoothie and Wild Watermelon are the medium-pigmented shades in the bunch. These will give your lips a bit more obvious color than Peach Parfait. I think Berry Smoothie is the best MLBB in the bunch!
Tutti Frutti and Macaroon are the most layerable and intense; they seem almost like glossy lipsticks.
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| Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains |
These are Revlon's sneaky Clinique Chubby Stick imitations. I have both and Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm leaves a sticky, layered feeling whereas Clinique's applies very thinly and buttery. JBKB are also a bit less pigmented though to be honest, pigmentation is not an issue at all and these are truly lipstick-like in their pigmentation.
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| Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Skin Swatches |
Rendezvous (worn on my FOTD way above) looks great on the packaging but it's not nearly as salmony as I want it to be. On my lips and even in the skin swatch, it pulls too red and I found the shade a bit garish on me.
Crush is a fantastic subdued berry for those who want to try the trend but fear looking mature. It has a striking color but is not thick nor opaque enough to age you. Romantic, on the other hand, looks like an intimidating red on the rube but swatches a more natural, flushed hue.
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| Revlon Cream Blushes |
These cream blushes were not very easy to pick up. The product isn't tacky but is instead, very wet. In fact, a bit too wet. Most of it is left swished around the pot as I try to pick some up with my fingers. It felt a bit more gel-like rather than creamy or moussey; and I didn't appreciate the wet finish.
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| Revlon Cream Blushes Skin Swatch |
Tickled is a baby doll pink while Charmed is more of a dusty rose. I prefer Charmed on me and UGH so sorry the picture is so ugly. I didn't notice.
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| Revlon Photoready Liquid Foundation |
I used this baby for my FOTD and all I can say is: I'm a believer! OK, I now know Revlon's drugstore expertise... it's foundation! I used the liquid Photoready on my face and the powder Photoready to set. The duo felt very ligthweight. Coverage of the liquid Photoready starts at light (not sheer) and is weightlessly buildable to heavy-medium. It buffed me out so impresssively... Amazing, amazing product.
My seatmate, Aiko, wore the Skinfinish. It's more meant for everyday wear and has a very fine, natural look. I think it does have a skin-like finish; she looked amazing in it! Obviously, Revlon did not just randomly luck out with the Photoready line!
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| Revlon Photoready Skinlights |
Skinlights were released just this month, if I'm not mistaken. It's either this month or within two months but of the whooooole soiree, this is my ULTIMATE FAVORITE REVLON PRODUCT. I wish I did a swatch but I only used it for spot-highlighting and it's soooo lovely I wanna cry :<
It's a very watery, almost-liquid-but-it's-cream product. There's a lot of shimmer in it and I kinda overdosed on it but using just the right amount, it looks sooo nice. The shimmer particles are larger than finishing powders' (Guerlain Meteorites, Ambient Hourglass Lighting Powder) but are smaller than eyeshadow glitter.
I know it's tempting to use it over the whole face but I doubt that would work. Unless you're going to a costume party as a ball of grease, then by all means...
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| Revlon Lash Potion |
The Lash Potion mascara has a fat wand.. like.. obese. It would've been great but the bristles were too flimsy that my own fine lashes pulled them down, rather than them combing through my lashes. I also didn't like the too-wet formula that didn't do much for volumizing, curling nor lengthening.
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| Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadows |
I love the Colorstay Eyeshadows because they have this dummies' guide at the back for suggested use. Color intensity and texture vary by the shade but it's a very reliable palette to own.
I'm thankful we got to take home one palette each as a gift for attending the Soiree. Since I'm such a generous and benevolent person *cough*, I let my tablemates get their pick of the bunch and chose from what's left. There was a gray combo in the pile but I got this pretty adventurous olive palette (coincidentally pictured above) because I think I have too many neutrals already, teehee.
Since I've just overloaded everyone with makeup talk, let me share my favorite dish from the event: these sinful, SUPER YUM milk shots and cookielets <3
Since I've just overloaded everyone with makeup talk, let me share my favorite dish from the event: these sinful, SUPER YUM milk shots and cookielets <3
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| Cute Milk and Cookies from Borough! |
Do you have one trusted drugstore brand or do you take the "specialty" of each brand like I do? Please share your drugstore shopping strategies below :D
Check out Revlon Philippines' Facebook page and
BDJ Box's Facebook page.